In this episode Will & Mike follow M.R. James on a terrifying treasure hunt to Germany in ‘The Treasure of Abbot Thomas’. Show notes: Steinfeld Abbey & Glass (also see Googlemaps) Read about the read-world location of this story on wikipedia. The Treasure of Steinfeld Abbey, A Visit to the Scene of “The Treasure of Abbot Thomas” by Helen Grant Interesting account of a visit to Steinfeld, in which Helen Grant compares the real abbey to the one described by M.R. James. Ashridge Park This story was inspired by James’s own study of the stained glass at Ashridge Park in 1904. The glass is now in the Victoria & Albert museum in London, and the park is now home to Ashridge Business School (check out the cool virtual tour!) Steinfeld stained glass in Wales To illustrate how widely glass from Germany and Belguim circulated in Britain, here some more of the Steinfeld stained glass shows up in a church in Wales! Review at GhostingImages.com An excellent review of the 1974 tv version. Origin of “Gare à qui la touche” (“Woe to he that touches it”) The origin of this ominous phrase appears to be Napoleonic! An Introduction to Classical Cryptography by William Stalling A useful guide for those who wish to get their head around the cryptographic puzzles solved by Mr Somerton. ‘A Pleasing Terror’ (Ash Tree Press) This definitive anthology of and commentary on James work is now available as an e-book. Ghost Stories of Christmas at the BFI Mediateque You can currently watch the BBC’s classic M.R. James tv adaptations at the BFI Mediateque centres.

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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